Children With Facial Difference: A Parents' Guide

Children With Facial Difference: A Parents' Guide by Charkins, Hope. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780933149618.

Each year, thousands of children are born with facial difference-abnormalities of the bones and tissues of the head and face that are present at birth or appear a few years later. Some conditions occur more commonly, such as cleft lip and cleft palate, while others, such as hemifacial microsomia, Treacher Collins, Apert, and Crouzon syndromes, are rarer. In addition to the emotional hardship of a different appearance and the attached stigma, some of these conditions pose special health concerns. A resource that parents can turn to for help is Children with Facial Difference, the first comprehensive book to provide parents with up-to-date information and support. Children with Facial Difference helps parents understand and cope with the challenges presented by their childs condition: Diagnosis; Causes and the genetic likelihood of recurrence; Emotional adjustment; Medical concerns and multi-disciplinary treatment approaches; Self-esteem; Family and community life; Speech, language, and hearing needs; Education; and Insurance issues, legal rights, and advocacy. Each chapter of Children with Facial Difference includes parent statements, reassuring and useful bits of information and insights from parents of children with facial difference. These statements help alleviate feelings of isolation and provide comfort and support. With a foreword by Joseph E. Murray, M.D., a Nobel Prize winner in medicine and a pioneer in craniofacial surgery, this book also includes a glossary of terms, a reading list, a resource list of organizations, and an index.